In Africa, pastoral communities have a deep knowledge of their environment. Their observational capacity and the taxonomies within their languages allow them to monitor changes in biodiversity and climate, and predict weather over different time scales. Due to reliance on natural resources and predictable rainfall, pastoralism is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; this is acknowledged in some of the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). Though pastoralists find themselves subject to increasing environmental pressures, their nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle is inherently adaptive and may be able to withstand shocks given other enabling contexts. Their knowledge and practices are a considerable source of information, monitoring and offer potential solutions for ecosystem-based adaptation in a context of climate change.

Despite representing about 50 million people, or more than 10% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, indigenous pastoralist communities are often marginalized in policy making. Article 7.5 of the Paris Agreement stresses the importance of including indigenous and local knowledge in understanding climate change and developing relevant actions for adaptation. Arid and semi-arid areas such as those occupied by pastoral peoples across Africa are already subject to variable and unpredictable weather and climate, a condition that climate change will exacerbate according to the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Pastoralists report marginalization from the political economy while climate change is exacerbating their vulnerability. Recognising the pressure of climate related stress on pastoralists and mobilising their knowledge systems and decision-making capacity contributes to achievements of the SDGs including the promotion of peace building.

UNESCO LINKS initiated the project ‘Knowing our changing climate in Africa’ to document observations and knowledge of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in Africa relevant to weather forecasting and adapting to climate change. The project involved participatory research, dialogue with science agencies and engagement with national and international climate policy making. The project was conducted through Least Developed Country (LDC) partnerships in Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, with an additional component in Kenya.

The project aims at identifying and mobilising existing indigenous and local knowledge on weather and climate in Africa. It focuses on pastoralist communities and explores how establishing a constructive dialogue between their knowledge and climate science can facilitate the mobilisation of the best available knowledge for the elaboration of adaptation policies. Pastoralism is only one form of land use in semi-arid zones of Africa. The project focussed on pastoralists due to their perceived vulnerability and the underlying adaptive capacity of their land use systems. A full national strategy would benefit from an accurate understanding and policy articulation regarding all natural resource users, including farmers, traditional and commercial pastoralists, fishing communities and hunter-gatherers.

The knowledge dialogues between scientists and herders can address climate science gaps and build capacities of national authorities to monitor, predict and respond to slow onset and extreme climatic events. By combining knowledge systems, the project aims to refine assessments, identify complementarity in forecasting and use of biotic and abiotic indicators and to broaden the understanding of the impacts of climate change at the local level, while helping to identify adaptation opportunities that match the needs and aspirations of these vulnerable communities.

For more infomation, you can visit the website of the project and consult the policy briefs.